


Sönghellir

by kristsune



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Drinking, Gen, Introspection, just a moment between a man and the vast stars above, only mentioned once, soft, some vague time in barnes' past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27638026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/pseuds/kristsune
Summary: Barnes takes a moment to look at and appreciate the night sky.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	Sönghellir

**Author's Note:**

> Not technically spoilers for 176, but Alex gives me the smallest bit of Barnes lore, you know I'm gonna run with it.   
> Did I take my love for the stars and night sky and project that all over James Barnes, Commander of my heart? You bet your ass I did.  
> Title is a song title from the band Cave in the Sky. Very beautiful music and perfect to listen to for this.

Barnes took another swig of his whiskey as he leaned against the railing of his ship. Well, not his ship, not technically. He was a commander for the Meritocratic Navy, so it was their ship. But, he took care of her, and her crew, so she was his. The whiskey wasn’t great, but it was better than the usual grog, and had obviously gone straight to his head if he was already thinking about  _ The Wrenn _ like this. 

He looked out over the ocean, and noticed points of sparkling light. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing, and brought his gaze up to the sky. It was a rare clear night just a little ways off the northern coast, not a cloud to be seen. The stars were bright and plentiful, strewn across the sky. It was like a giant hand just sprinkled them there, letting them lie where they landed, no effort to make them fit into specific shapes or forms, allowing them their natural random beauty. 

Barnes wasn’t the best navigator out there, sure he could get around if he really needed to, knew his base directions, and the like, but he didn’t know the stars as intimately as some people he knew. Didn’t know the ins and outs of constellations, and history, and stories, and legends. But in this moment? He didn’t need any of that. Barnes looked up at the vast dusting of stars filling the sky, and could only admire their beauty. He glanced at their reflection off the ocean, and felt like he was up there with them. Immersed in the center of a galaxy, a place of unfathomable space and time and felt… not blessed, that wasn’t the right word, but close to it. Honored that he could be in this moment, and appreciate everything about it. 

“Hey Barnes! What’re you doin’ o’er there alone! Come on back, you gotta teach Williams a lesson at darts!”

Barnes, broken from his reverie, blinked a few times, feeling a tear streak down his cheek as he did so. He took a deep breath before answering, needing to find his voice, “Be there in a few, Porter.”

Barnes took one last look out at the night sky, with a gentle smile on his lips, and whispered a soft, “Thank you.” He didn’t know who or what it was meant for, but he felt better for saying it. He turned back to the light, and the ruckus of the crew, glad for his moment alone with the night sky, and scattering of stars. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to stop by and visit me over on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Kristsune) or [tumblr!](https://kristsune.tumblr.com/)


End file.
